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Jobs for graphic artist/designer

What Jobs can I get as a Graphic Designer? I am currently a freshman and just starting out. I will mostly draw instead of taking photographs, and I want to make 3D animations for trailers of video games or movies (10 years in the future after I leave my parents (hopefully), I will see my self working at an animation studio or drawing storyboards, because my parents want me to go into math and science and does not support me going into the art field).

I was hoping to get into 3D animation, but the college I am going to doesn't have a major in 3D animation, but they have an elective course for it and two for multimedia.

I am more interested in creating art with more conceptual form as in pertaining to our everyday life than creating abstract art, but at the same time I don't want to base my artwork entirely on what I can find as in photography.

I have a passion for drawing, but I have a required photography class that I will learn Photoshop, and I want to know how can the knowledge in photography be applied to traditional drawing to enhance it other than using photographs as reference. Is photoshop a good coloring/painting program, I have never used it since I am very poor and my family is poor (especially after having to buy so many text books)? Also, I am not very interested in photography.

I also have to go through a required course of Microsoft office programs (again!). Are Microsoft Office programs really needed for my field?

Graphic Design and Animation are completely different fields. Which is not to say that you can't transition from one to other-- many do-- but each requires different technical skills beyond the basics of color theory, composition, etc.

If your goal is animation, I'd suggest courses in illustration more than I would graphic design. And if your college offers 2D animation classes, take those. The principles of animation are the same no matter the style being used; if you want to switch to 3D later, at least it would be a simpler matter of teaching yourself a new tool rather than trying to figure out an entirely new skill set.

Edit: As for MS Office, it's such a ubiquitous software package that there's no reason not to learn it. Spreadsheets and word docs are a long way from going out of style. You'll probably find use for MS Office it outside of your job. If you've already taken the course, see if you can't get the credits to transfer.

Graphic Design and Animation are completely different fields. Which is not to say that you can't transition from one to other-- many do-- but each requires different technical skills beyond the basics of color theory, composition, etc.

If your goal is animation, I'd suggest courses in illustration more than I would graphic design. And if your college offers 2D animation classes, take those. The principles of animation are the same no matter the style being used; if you want to switch to 3D later, at least it would be a simpler matter of teaching yourself a new tool rather than trying to figure out an entirely new skill set.

Edit: As for MS Office, it's such a ubiquitous software package that there's no reason not to learn it. Spreadsheets and word docs are a long way from going out of style. You'll probably find use for MS Office it outside of your job. If you've already taken the course, see if you can't get the credits to transfer.

This is true about animation. You'd be much better off learning 2D before going to 3D. That's not to say that solely 3D animators are bad, they can be amazing, but there's no doubt that learning Richard Williams' principles of animation on 2D, then moving over to 3D just gives you a better understanding and more critical eye (in 2D, you're forced to work at 24 frames per second, in 3D you've got tweening doing the inbetween frames for you, having a 2D background gives you a better eye over what's happening in those inbetweens, along with a wealth of other things).

Suffice to say, pretty much any studio will be more interested in your 3D work if youre applying for a 3D animation position of course, but if you also back up your portfolio with 2D origin's it'll REALLY raise their eyebrows with enthusiasm.

The Following User Says Thank You to Jason Rainville For This Useful Post:

Knowlege is often transferable, dont see different mediums as being alienated from each other but look at the bigger picture. You can learn a lot of composition taking photos, learn about your subjects, learn about using color, learn about values and contrast ,you can also learn to observe whats around you with design in your head so to speak. I would highly recommend trying it out .

It is true that most people will eventually have their own area of expertise, is only natural. But when you talk about "graphic design" it involves a very wide range of applications, before you choose which way to go on your professional enterprises first take a look at all the things that are on the table and learn all you can , diggest many different things, dont restric yourself to a comfort zone, switch mediums, put ideas in motion, everything you experience and put effort on wil help you grow and eventually youll see your own path in front of you.

Is it easy to learn Animation by yourself? I could buy a Student edition bundle of Autodesk entertainment suite and watch some youtube tutorials or some other resources online, but are there missing features for student editions?

Would you recommend Industrial design or Architectural Design (since these courses require animations) over Graphics design (which has animation as an elective)?

My college doesn't have animation major, and the other schools are too expensive for me. I am currently attending CUNY city college of technology and I might transfer. If you are interested in the animation course they have and maybe recommend some courses that might be better, it is here in PDF:

That animation elective under graphic design is not probably what you have in mind.
I take an animation class but it is based around banners, animated logos, and animated content for web design, presentations and whatnot.

Graphic designer and proffessional animator are two different tittles.

If you want to learn animation WELL, you're going to have to do a lot more than learn the latest software-flavor-of-the-week. You're going to have to learn to draw. You're going to have to learn to draw extremely well. And extremely fast. You're going to need to learn anatomy. You're going to want to learn principles of movement, storytelling, and sequential art.

This is if you want to be a real full-fledged animator capable of doing any kind of animation, no matter what the current software is, and not some hack who slaps spare parts together and auto-tweens them...

Animation is sometimes included as an elective (or electives) in an illustration major, and an illustration major would also cover the drawing skills you need (which is most of the skills you'll need, anyway.)

Your all over the board dude, but in short it doesn't sound like your going to be landing a gig any time soon. I'll just say, MS programs are completely irrelevant. Your obviously going to community college. I spent many years hopping around those. They all have strengths and weaknesses. It sounds like yours holds onto tech principals from the 80's and 90's. I think you'd be better off dropping out, using your money to buy creative suite and some instructional books or a subscription to lynda.com and there's gotta be a helpful forum out there. You'll just need to be self motivated. Just write down your goals, research what it will take to achieve your goals, give yourself deadlines to reach each small goal and work towards one big goal.

I agree with Gwen; animation's not about the software, it's about knowing the principles and being able to apply them no matter what medium you're using. Try reading Animation by Preston Blair and The Animator's Survival Kit by Richard Williams for a start.

If you're looking for an animation-specific course, Animation Mentor (http://www.animationmentor.com/) offers an 18-month curriculum at about the same total price as a year at a state school. I can't vouch for it personally, but two of my friends who have gone through it had nothing but positive things to say, and I haven't heard any negative feedback about it online. It's worth researching if you're really interested in animating.

If you want to learn animation WELL, you're going to have to do a lot more than learn the latest software-flavor-of-the-week. You're going to have to learn to draw. You're going to have to learn to draw extremely well. And extremely fast. You're going to need to learn anatomy. You're going to want to learn principles of movement, storytelling, and sequential art.

This is if you want to be a real full-fledged animator capable of doing any kind of animation, no matter what the current software is, and not some hack who slaps spare parts together and auto-tweens them...

Animation is sometimes included as an elective (or electives) in an illustration major, and an illustration major would also cover the drawing skills you need (which is most of the skills you'll need, anyway.)

"Everything must serve the idea. The means used to convey the idea should be the simplest and clear. Just what is required. No extra images. To me this is a universal principle of art. Saying as much as possible with a minimum of means."

Your all over the board dude, but in short it doesn't sound like your going to be landing a gig any time soon. I'll just say, MS programs are completely irrelevant. Your obviously going to community college. I spent many years hopping around those. They all have strengths and weaknesses. It sounds like yours holds onto tech principals from the 80's and 90's. I think you'd be better off dropping out, using your money to buy creative suite and some instructional books or a subscription to lynda.com and there's gotta be a helpful forum out there. You'll just need to be self motivated. Just write down your goals, research what it will take to achieve your goals, give yourself deadlines to reach each small goal and work towards one big goal.

The problem is, my parents would never let me do that, and my sisters would support them on this. The school I am currently at is actually a CUNY, not a community one or a state one. Current tuition is about 2.5k.

The problem is, my parents would never let me do that, and my sisters would support them on this.

Your parents won't have to spend the next 60 years in your skin. You will. It's tough, but sometimes the best thing you can do is rise above-- and in spite of-- others expectations. It all boils down to how badly you want it, and what's more important: busting your ass to be great at something you love, or resigning yourself to "almost, but" and "I wish" to make others happy.

Your parents won't have to spend the next 60 years in your skin. You will. It's tough, but sometimes the best thing you can do is rise above-- and in spite of-- others expectations. It all boils down to how badly you want it, and what's more important: busting your ass to be great at something you love, or resigning yourself to "almost, but" and "I wish" to make others happy.

I will try to bust my ass, thank you. I might be able to use my graphic arts knowledge for making comics first. I always get some increased passion to do art immediately after coming to this forum and asking about art and how you need to bust your ass to be good.